A patch cable or patch cord is an electrical cable used to connect one electrical device to another. A category 6 cable, commonly known as a Cat 6, is a twisted pair cable type designed for high signal integrity, such as for use in computer networks.
Category 6 cable includes four twisted pairs in a single cable jacket. The twisted pairs are terminated in a connection plug which may in turn be received in an RJ socket, for example, for connection into a network.
The twisted pairs are manually terminated by an operator by firstly being separated into individual wires which are aligned with and laid in parallel channels formed in the plug. The wires are electrically connected to pin of the plug which ultimately connect with contacts within the socket.
The wires generally need to be gripped tightly when the group of eight wires are positioned in the plug prior to termination and this can lead to repetitive strain injuries.
Also, managing the group of eight wires simultaneously can cause some of the wires to be misaligned with the designated channel, which may present difficulties for the operator in realigning some of the wires while holding the others in place. It may be necessary to cut the plug free from the cable and start the termination process again, especially if some of the wires have already been terminated, if the handling becomes too difficult.
Since the wires are organised as a group of eight parallel wires, it may be desirable, prior to gripping the eight wires, to manually introduce some twists or cross-overs just prior to termination as a way of reducing cross talk between adjacent pairs of wires. However, manual manipulation is prone to error and, if a strict wire arrangement is not complied with, performance of the plug can be diminished.
Once the wires are terminated in the above manner, it is extremely difficult to manually tweak the performance of the plug.
Additionally, to produce a test plug, the wires are organised as a group of eight parallel wires (near the IDC end), which then need to be tuned manually by manipulation of the wires position relationships by introducing some twists or cross overs just prior to termination.
This process requires delicate trial-and-error terminations, in order to determine an optimal relationship between the wires in a move and test process which has many combination variables and differences. The process essentially needs to be repeated until the technician encounters what is considered an optimal arrangement that meets the required calibration and this takes considerable time, in the order of days, to complete.